Asako S. Moriya

Access to health insurance and the use of inpatient medical care: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act young adult mandate

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 expanded coverage to young adults by allowing them to remain on their parents private health insurance until they turn 26 years old. While there is evidence on insurance effects, we know very little about use of general or specific forms of medical care. We study the implications of the expansion on inpatient hospitalizations. Given the prevalence of mental health needs for young adults, we also specifically study mental health related inpatient care. We find evidence that compared to those aged 27-29 years, treated young adults aged 19-25 years increased their inpatient visits by 3.5 percent while mental illness visits increased 9.0 percent. The prevalence of uninsurance among hospitalized young adults decreased by 12.5 percent; however, it does not appear that the intensity of inpatient treatment changed despite the change in reimbursement composition of patients.

The Impact of the Macroeconomy on Health Insurance Coverage: Evidence from the Great Recession

This paper investigates the impact of the macroeconomy on the health insurance coverage of Americans using panel data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation for 2004-2010, a period that includes the Great Recession of 2007-2009. We find that a one percentage point increase in the state unemployment rate is associated with a 1.67 percentage point (2.12%) reduction in the probability that men have health insurance; this effect is strongest among college-educated, white, and older (50-64 years old) men. For women and children, health insurance coverage is not significantly correlated with the unemployment rate, which may be the result of public health insurance acting as a social safety net. Compared with the previous recession, the health insurance coverage of men is more sensitive to the unemployment rate, which may be due to the nature of the Great Recession.

Little Change Seen In Part-Time Employment As A Result Of The Affordable Care Act

There has been speculation that the Affordable Care Act’s coverage provisions and employer mandate have led to an increase in part-time employment. Using the Current Population Survey for the period 2005–15, we examined data on weekly hours worked by firm size, reason for working part time, age, education, and health insurance. We found only limited evidence to support this speculation.

Impact of Premium Subsidies on the Take-Up of Health Insurance: Evidence from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Arra)

We study the coverage impacts of a 65 percent health insurance premium subsidy that targeted employer-insured workers who lost their jobs between September 2008 and May 2010. Our research represents the first econometric analysis of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) COBRA subsidy and contributes to a better understanding of consumer responses to government-subsidized private health insurance and discussions surrounding Affordable Care Act (ACA) policies. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, we find that the subsidy is associated with a substantial increase in own-name employer coverage among the targeted group. We estimate a −0.38 to −0.27 price elasticity of demand for health insurance, depending on the specification. This suggests that consumers are somewhat more price sensitive than previously thought, although there are caveats to generalizing from past settings to individuals affected by ACA subsidies. We also find that part of the increase in subsidized coverage was offset by a decrease in unsubsidized non-group insurance.

Coverage For Self-Employed And Others Without Employer Offers Increased After 2014

Little is known about how the Affordable Care Act might have differentially affected insurance coverage for self-employed workers, wage earners with and without offers of employer-sponsored insurance, and people not employed. We found that the self-employed and wage earners without employer coverage offers had coverage gains equal to or greater than those of people not employed.

Association Between Marketplace Policy and Public Coverage Among Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program–Eligible Children and Parents

Funding/Support: This study was supported by grants J3-6800 and P3-0343 from the Slovenian Research Agency. This project received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement 115797 (INNODIA). This Joint Undertaking receives support from the Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, JDRF, and the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Difference In Uninsurance Rates Between Full- And Part-Time Workers Declined In 2014

Historically, part-time workers have been more likely to be uninsured than their full-time peers. Data from the 2010-15 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey show that coverage differences by work hours declined after 2014. Uninsurance declined more for part-time workers, with pathways to coverage varying by state Medicaid expansion status.